Light, of course, has long formed an ineffable through line in the work of Roman and Williams. Picture the sybaritic ambiance of the Boom Boom Room, with its reflective ceiling medallions, sputnik-style hanging fixtures, and illuminated central column. Or the hushed atmosphere of Le Coucou, where flickering candles join a chorus of custom pewtered-steel chandeliers and cast-glass sconces…. Or The Met’s renovated British galleries, whose carefully calibrated radiance coaxes 400 years of decorative arts into sharper relief. “Far from being static, lighting is dynamic and ever-changing, capable of transforming any space,” says Standefer, explaining how lighting can reveal unexpected nuances of texture, color, and form.
The firm’s tireless attention to detail reveals itself in their latest lighting designs. Four years in the making, the Axil pendant, for instance, required molding glass at an unprecedented scale to realize its three-tiered shades. The Lentium sconce and table lamp, meanwhile, mark dynamic feats of sculpture, their cast-bronze frames bearing Alesch’s own handiwork. (Every piece is a creative pas-de-deux between him and Standefer.) And the Porto sconces showcase a dynamic interplay of material traditions, with burnished brass wall brackets supporting hand-blown shades of opaline, aubergine, and clear glass, at turns rippled or smooth. That rigorous sensitivity extends to the Petra Egg and Globe pendants, the alabaster for which was sourced from Spain on account of its subtle veining. Dinner guests, transfixed, could be overheard comparing the stone orbs to celestial bodies.
